Amman – Amid continuing funding challenges facing humanitarian operations in Jordan, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it has received only $52.1 million this year out of the $170 million required to implement its programs in the Kingdom.
The funding shortfall is creating growing challenges for the sustainability of food assistance provided to refugees and limiting the programme’s ability to meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups, at a time when thousands of refugee families continue to rely on such assistance to cover part of their basic food needs.
According to the WFP’s monthly report for September 2026, funding requirements for the six months from October 2026 through March 2027 amount to approximately $42.4 million.
The figure highlights the financial pressures facing WFP operations, particularly as assistance continues to be provided at reduced levels, with part of the support suspended in recent months due to a lack of financial resources.
The report said that during September, the programme continued providing food assistance to around 78,000 Syrian refugees living in camps, with a reduced monthly transfer of $21, equivalent to JD15 per person. The amount covers only part of their food needs.
Meanwhile, the WFP began preparations to temporarily resume monthly cash assistance from October for refugees living in host communities, following a six-month suspension caused by an acute funding shortage.
The report said the resumption of assistance would be limited to a priority group comprising the most vulnerable and needy refugee families in host communities, in a move aimed at directing limited financial resources toward those most in need.
According to the WFP, refugees included in the priority group in host communities will receive the same reduced amount provided to refugees in the Zaatari and Azraq camps, amounting to JD15 per person per month.
These measures reflect the programme’s continued reliance on reducing the value of assistance and limiting it to the most vulnerable groups as it seeks to adapt to limited available funding.
This raises questions about the ability of food assistance programmes to continue at current levels, particularly for families that rely on aid to cover part of their living expenses.
The value of cash transfers provided by the WFP during September reached around $1.2 million, while voluntary returns of Syrian refugees to their country continue.
The report said around 230,000 Syrian refugees returned from Jordan to Syria between December 2024 and September 2026.
According to the report, approximately 329,700 Syrian refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan as of September, in addition to refugees of other nationalities.
Jordan remains, according to the WFP, one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, accommodating more than three million refugees, including Palestinians and Syrians, amid economic challenges, limited natural resources and growing pressure on basic services.
The report noted that despite being classified as an upper-middle-income country, Jordan faces challenges linked to limited natural resources, water scarcity, declining energy resources and limited agricultural land, as well as its reliance on food imports to meet a significant portion of its needs.
The continuation of regional conflicts has also affected Jordan’s economic situation and compounded existing challenges, particularly unemployment, despite political and economic reforms undertaken in recent years.
Jordan’s population stands at around 12 million, with people under the age of 30 accounting for approximately 63% of the population. This further underscores the importance of programs related to education, nutrition, social protection and livelihood opportunities.
On another front, the WFP said it had resumed, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, its school feeding programme alongside the start of the new academic year.
The programme provided healthy meals and fortified date bars to around 510,000 students in refugee camps and host communities.
The continuation of the programme forms part of efforts to support school nutrition and ensure children have access to food during the school day, particularly in communities facing economic and livelihood challenges.
Under its Country Strategic Plan for 2023–2027, the WFP places particular emphasis on education and nutrition activities, alongside providing food assistance to the most vulnerable refugees and strengthening national social protection systems.
On food security, the WFP announced its support for the launch of Jordan’s first national campaign to raise awareness about food waste, in cooperation with the National Council for Food Security, under the slogan “Value It, Don’t Waste It.”
The campaign is based on findings from the National Food Waste Study conducted by the National Council for Food Security and the Department of Statistics.
The study found that food waste in Jordan ranges between 81 and 93 kilograms per person annually, equivalent to around one million tonnes of wasted food each year.
The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste and encourage individuals and families to adopt more responsible consumption patterns and reduce practices that result in large quantities of food being wasted.
These efforts are particularly important given Jordan’s food security challenges, limited natural and agricultural resources, and the economic losses and environmental pressures resulting from food waste.
Regarding support for humanitarian responses to regional crises, the report said the WFP continued, in cooperation with Jordanian authorities, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and Lebanon.
In September, the programme delivered around 1,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour to Gaza after replenishing food stocks allocated for the humanitarian response.
The WFP’s Jordan office also facilitated, in coordination with national authorities, the passage of one humanitarian convoy into Lebanon, led by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization. The convoy comprised 26 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance.
The shipments included food supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene items, shelter materials and other non-food assistance transported on behalf of several humanitarian partners.
According to the report, the total number of humanitarian convoys facilitated by the WFP through the Jordan-Lebanon corridor reached nine, comprising more than 139 trucks carrying around 1,400 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies.
The WFP stressed the importance of Jordan’s role in facilitating the delivery of aid to areas affected by regional crises, describing the Kingdom as an additional humanitarian corridor that supports response operations and the delivery of supplies to communities most in need in Lebanon.
Amid these developments, the WFP continues implementing its 2023–2027 Country Strategic Plan, which focuses on providing food assistance to the most vulnerable refugees, supporting social protection and school nutrition programmes, and strengthening community resilience.
However, the persistent funding gap remains one of the main challenges facing the implementation of these programmes, particularly as additional financial resources are needed to maintain assistance to refugees and avoid further reductions that could undermine the ability of the most vulnerable families to meet their basic food needs.
Source: Al-Ghad
